Reds closer Emilio Pagán is ready to turn every save into a WWE moment

There are closers who treat the ninth inning like a job, and there are closers who treat it like a main event. Emilio Pagán is very clearly volunteering for the second category. And honestly, Cincinnati Reds fans should be thrilled. Because if you’re going to live and die by three outs every night, you might as well lean into the theater of it all.

Pagán already did the whole “closer entrance” thing last season, and he didn’t half-step it. He opened 2025 with a Cody Rhodes-style vibe, then eventually pivoted to Roman Reigns energy as the year went on, which is such a perfect closer arc it almost feels scripted.

Reds’ Emilio Pagán is teasing a fearless new walkout that could hit hard

Now he’s teasing an even bigger twist for 2026, saying there are “some WWE soundbites” in play and “a little bit going on that could make it a really cool entrance this season.” 

The best part? This isn’t some gimmick to distract from a shaky performance. Pagán earned the right to be extra.

He was that good in 2025 — 32 saves, a 2.88 ERA, a 0.92 WHIP, and 81 strikeouts in 70 appearances. The Reds handed him the remote whenever the game got tense. That’s a closer saying, “Cue the entrance, it’s time for the finish.”

And this is where the WWE thing actually fits Cincinnati perfectly. Because Great American Ball Park plays best when it’s alive — loud, reactive, and a little unhinged (in the fun way). A closer entrance with recognizable audio hits is a permission slip for the crowd to snap to attention. Suddenly the ninth inning is an event, not an obligation.

As for what he’s hinting at? Pagán didn’t name names beyond the Cody-to-Roman switch last year, but the timing lines up perfectly with the road-to-WrestleMania stuff fans are living in right now — Roman Reigns circling CM Punk, Cody Rhodes colliding with Drew McIntyre, and the kind of chaos where Jacob Fatu can pop up and tilt the whole scene.  The specifics almost don’t matter as much as the intention: he’s trying to turn every save into a scene.

And for a Reds team that’s trying to stack wins in a division where nothing comes easy, that mindset matters. Three outs. One entrance. Same result. Cue the pyro.